1. Field
The present disclosure relates to lip enhancement and enlargement devices, kits, and methods.
2. Background
Lip size and shape are facial features, which directly impact attractiveness levels. Many believe a person's lips and smile to be an indicator of beauty. Full lips, especially in Western cultures, are considered attractive. Some suggest that the trend towards fuller lips developed because lips become less full with age. As one ages, gravitational effects and atrophy of tissue and muscles on and surrounding the lips often lead to lips which appear deflated and disproportionate. Fuller lips, however, are often associated with a healthy lifestyle, youth, and beauty.
In one study, it was found that men give more attention to women with fuller lips. Women having “luscious pouts” were found to attract more attention from men compared to thin-lipped women. In this same study, lips were found to represent one of the most sensual areas on a woman's body and serve as a biological indicator of a woman's health and fertility.
Because of the trend toward fuller lips, many go to considerable lengths to enhance lip shape and size. Therefore, several procedures and devices have been developed to enlarge lips and change lip shape. Lip augmentation, for example, is used frequently in surgical and non-surgical procedures to increase lip fullness. These procedures include injecting and implanting various types of materials into the lips.
But, many risks are associated with lip augmentation. Lips can be overfilled with injected materials. Allergic reactions to anesthetics and injected and implanted materials can occur, resulting in redness, swelling, itching, etc. Abnormal lip shapes may develop, e.g. trout pout, duck lips, sausage lips, fish lips, etc. Bruising and scarring may occur at injection and surgical sites. Implants may move and/or break through skin. Nonetheless, many are still willing to bear these risks.
In addition to these known risks, lip augmentation is considered extremely expensive by many. Costs for an injection can easily range from five hundred to one thousand dollars (US$). Because lip fullness will decrease over time, additional sessions—totaling multiple thousands of dollars—may be required to maintain fuller lips.
Because of the multitude of risks associated with lip augmentation, some have turned to using a nonsurgical device, commonly known as a lip pump, to increase lip size. These types of lip enlargement devices use some form of suction, i.e. negative pressure, applied over both lips to increase blood flow and cause lip size to temporarily increase. Although useful for their intended purpose, currently available lip pumps can have negative side effects. After use, some lip pumps will leave unattractive marks, bruising, indentations, and grooves around a user's lip area. In addition, some lip pumps continuously apply suction to both lips. Unfortunately, these types of lip pumps can cause misshaped lips and fail to address various lip problems. A user who only wants to increase a smaller lower lip, for example, may come away with a “ducky” upper lip that appears similar to a duck bill.
Considering the limitations of known lip pumps and the numerous risks associated with lip augmentation, the need for improved lip enhancement and enlargement devices is clear. The present invention fulfills this need and provides further related advantages, as described in the following summary.